I’m a carnitas fanatic, and you will be too after you take one bite of this Mexican-style pulled pork. It will quickly become one of your favorite keto dinner recipes. If I could give you a money back guarantee on that statement, I would. It’s just that good.
I’ve been making this dish exactly the same way since 2016. My family adores it and it seems to disappear far too quickly. I worked hard to perfect my own carnitas and I wouldn’t change a thing.
How do I describe it for the uninitiated? It’s like a study in contrasts: slow braised, shredded pork that is somehow both juicy and crisp at the same time. Carnitas are mouthwateringly delicious and easy to make.
Serve it with some cilantro lime cauliflower rice for a fabulous low carb Mexican-inspired meal. Welcome to your new addiction, my friends!
Why we love this recipe
There’s so much to love about keto carnitas, I hardly know where to start.
- Easy preparation: This recipe requires only about 15 minutes prep time.
- Basic ingredients: You should be able to find all you need at your local grocery store.
- Perfectly seasoned: The flavors are balanced and not too spicy. But you can increase the spice if you like!
- Tender and juicy: Slow braising the carnitas results in melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Crispy and caramelized: Broiling helps caramelize the meat and add crispness.
- Meal prep friendly: It’s a perfect make-ahead dish, so you can add it to your list of keto freezer recipes.
For more easy Mexican dinner recipes, check out Keto Tamale Pie and Chicken Enchilada Soup!
Reader’s Thoughts
“Oh man this was so good. I really love the idea of using the orange and the lime. I think that set this recipe apart from the rest of the recipes I’ve tried for carnitas. This is by far my favorite. Thank you again!” — Bonnie
Ingredients you need
- Pork butt: Pork shoulder, also known as pork butt, is the ideal cut of meat for carnitas. You can use bone in or bone out, it doesn’t matter. Once the pork shoulder is cooked, the bone just falls right out.
- Pure lard: Authentic carnitas are slow cooked in lard, but good pasture-raised lard can be expensive. I recommend using about 1/4 cup of lard and looking for a pork roast with a good fat cap on it, for extra juiciness. You can also use bacon grease.
- Citrus fruits: I add an orange and a lime to the pork while it cooks. The acid helps break down meat and it adds tremendous flavor. Because this recipe makes a large amount of servings, the carb count is minimal.
- Chipotle: This recipe works best with canned chipotle in adobo sauce. They are easy to find at most grocery stores in the international food aisle.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic always gives tremendous flavor compared to garlic powder. But you can use the powder if you must.
- Pantry staples: Oregano, cumin, salt and pepper
Step by Step Directions
- In a large dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the pork roast and brown well on all sides.
- Add the water to the bottom of the pan. Hand squeeze the juice of the orange sections and lime sections into the pan and add the rind as well. Add the cumin, oregano, chipotle, and garlic. Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer the pot to the oven.
- Transfer to a 300ºF oven and let cook 5 hours, until the pork is tender and can easily be pierced with a fork. Remove from the liquids onto a foil lined cookie sheet and let stand until cool enough to shred.
- Spread the pork out over the cookie sheet and set under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to get the pork pieces nice and crisp. Watch carefully!
- Meanwhile, remove the orange and lime rinds from the liquids in the pot and discard. Set over medium high heat and bring a boil. Cook until the liquids are reduced by half.
- Add the crispy pork back into the liquids and toss to combine. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
Tips for Success
I did a lot of research into cooking carnitas before venturing out on my own. These are my best tips for a truly fantastic experience.
- Cook it whole – Don’t bother cutting the meat into chunks, as it adds unnecessary work and time to your recipe. Braising the roast at low heat with plenty of liquids results in such succulent tenderness, it practically falls apart when you touch it.
- Brown the meat first – Season with salt and pepper and brown on all sides before braising.
- Dump in the seasonings – There is also no need to rub the roast with seasonings, since it all falls off during the braising process. I find it simpler to just add it all in on top. The meat will absorb the flavors as it cooks.
- Broiling required – Don’t skip this step! Broiling the shredded pork helps crisp it up and give the carnitas their unique texture and flavor.
- Reserve the liquids – Don’t discard the wonderful juices after cooking. Bring them to a boil and reduce them, and then add the carnitas back in. It adds flavor and juiciness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Carnitas are delicious in any number of ways. Personally, I enjoy them most in a bowl with cauliflower rice and toppings like guacamole. You can also serve them as a salad or in lettuce wraps. And they are a great on Mini Pepper Nachos too.
If you want to make tacos with them, I have a few suggestions! Try the cauliflower thins from Outer Aisle or the egg white wraps from Egg Life. You could even use the crusts to make a tasty Keto Quesadilla!
Yes, you absolutely can. While I prefer braising them slowly in the oven, I’ve used my Instant Pot when short on time. Don’t skip the step of browning the meat first, as it brings out better flavor. You also need to cut back on the liquids, since a pressure cooker releases a lot of liquid from the meat itself. I recommend using only 1/2 cup of water. Set the Instant Pot for about 90 minutes on the meat/stew function and let the pressure release naturally.
Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 4 days. Carnitas can easily be frozen, too. Transfer the meat into freezer safe container and freeze it for up to 4 months.
This keto carnitas recipe has 2.0g of carbs and 0.0g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.0g net carbs per serving.
More delicious keto pork recipes
- Instant Pot Keto Pulled Pork
- Easy Air Fryer Pork Chops
- The Best Keto Ribs
- Smothered Pork Chops
- Keto Cheesy Sausage Dip
- Slow Cooker Pork Loin
Crispy Carnitas Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lb (1.81 kg) boneless pork butt
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbs (59.15 g) avocado oil
- 1 cup (236.59 g) water
- 1/2 medium orange, cut into quarters
- 1 medium lime, cut into quarters
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Season the pork butt all over with salt and pepper.
- In a large dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the pork roast and brown well on all sides.
- Add the water to the bottom of the pan. Hand squeeze the juice of the orange sections and lime sections into the pan and add the rind as well. Add the cumin, oregano, chipotle, and garlic. Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer the pot to the oven.
- Let cook 5 hours, until the pork is tender and can easily be pierced with a fork. Remove from the liquids onto a foil lined cookie sheet and let stand until cool enough to shred.
- Spread the pork out over the cookie sheet and set under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to get the pork pieces nice and crisp. Watch carefully!
- Meanwhile, remove the orange and lime rinds from the liquids in the pot and discard. Set over medium high heat and bring a boil. Cook until the liquids are reduced by half.
- Add the crispy pork back into the liquids and toss to combine. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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My husband LOVED these, thank you for the recipe!
So glad you sent this out as your daily recipe and so glad I’m a subscriber. I always order carnitas at Mexican restaurants and now I’m not sure I’ll ever have it away from home again. Made it today and it was fantastic! So easy and SO delicious. It may become a regular dinner here now.
Hooray, so glad to hear it! And easy too, right?
I followed this recipe exactly.
After I pulled the pork out of the broiler, it was PERFECT. About the best carnitas I’ve ever had. Then I put them back into he Dutch oven with the sauce and the sauce completely ruined the meat. I think the chipotle had too much flavor. I tried everything to mask the flavor and I was unsuccessful. We couldn’t handle the after taste and we tossed it out.
I’m looking forward to trying this one more time. The Dutch oven is awesome.
It might not be the chipotle… if your orange peel is really bitter (some are) that can affect the sauce too.
Hi, once I sear the meat in an iron skillet, Can I transfer it into a slow cooker? How long will that have to cook for ? Asking coz I don’t have a Dutch oven and would like to put my slow cooker to good use!
Hi Niki…you totally can and it should be slow cooked on low for 6 to 8 hours. If you can stick a fork easily into it and start shredding it, you’re good to go. But don’t skip the searing step, it really gives it the best flavor.
I made this tonight with a 5lb bone in pork shoulder. Cooked it 6 hours on high. Cooked perfectly! However we could taste the bitterness from the orange and lime rinds. Next time I will just use the juice.
Could this be made with a bone in shoulder? Or would that change the cook time?
I usually make mine in a pressure cooker all chopped up, but you make this look & sound so good, I want to try your method!
Thanks
It can but you will need to give it more time. At least 5 minutes, I would say. Then check the internal temp and cook longer if needed.
These are so tender and good. Carnitas are always a favorite when I make them!
Low and slow is always a winner… and fat = flavor… we all need a little of this in our lives!
Looks like perfection!!
This is tomorrow’s dinner for sure!
Yum! About to make this for the second time for my friend (who just had a baby) and her family. <3
I made this yesterday and followed the directions to a T. Sadly, 5 hours was too long and my dutch oven was black when I opened it. The pork was okay but the surrounding ingredients were completely charred to the pot. So if you value your cookware, check after 3-4 hours!!
I think it has more to do with the seal of your cookware lid. If it isn’t closed well and the liquid evaporates, yes that’s going to happen. But I’ve never had that complaint from any other reader so I suspect it’s your cookware or your oven.
The liquid did evaporate!! Thanks for the tip. I didn’t realize it was my cookware. This is one of those big red dutch ovens from Kohl’s. Not sure how good the quality is to be honest. I want to make this recipe again so my plan was to add more water this time but I might just need to cover my pot with foil instead.
Put a piece of aluminum foil over the pot, then put the lid on. Makes a better seal…
Is this to spisy from the pepper or can you taste the orange/lime to much ? I have 5 kids can’t make it to spicy and my husband would not like the orange taste… So I can’t make all this meat and noone eats it ! ? So how is the taste ladies?
It’s not spicy at all. You can leave out the orange if you like. Use more lime instead.
Just made this…. Soooooo good! Made it in crock pot and used bacon grease instead of lard. Thank you for making my first attempt at carnitas so easy!
I made this last week and it was fabulous!! I can’t say enough about how delectable these carnitas were. My husband, who does not follow a low carb diet, also enjoyed them immensely. I made the Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice as a side dish and together with the carnitas it was a very delicious, satisfying meal. Thank you for this excellent recipe.
Could I substitute a dried chipotle that I’ve ground into a powder, or does the adobo add a different flavor? I have both.